In the 1.8 update, the food mechanic was changed-- No longer does eating food regain health, but instead fills the Hunger Meter, which goes down when the player does things like running, sprinting, and mining. When the player has 9 or more meat bones on the hunger meter, their health will slowly regenerate.

Additionally most of your answer was covered by the previous two answers nearly two years ago and doesn't contribute much else. Golden apples might have been something worth expanding upon, as they do provide some additional health-related bonuses beyond the hunger bar.
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Trent HawkinsSep 12 '13 at 4:47

This answer is too short and vague. you didn't even explain how to get a golden apple.
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Awesomest_DonutOct 1 '13 at 3:35